Crawford Healthcare, the UK’s fastest growing advanced wound care company, has today announced FDA clearance for a world-first wound dressing that has the potential to be the most clinically effective product of its type in international woundcare. The product, developed in partnership with The University of Manchester, is the first FDA-cleared absorbent gelling dressing containing unique Oxysalt™ technology, and will initially be available for clinical use in the US – the world’s largest market for advanced wound care (representing almost half of global spend).

The unique and revolutionary elements of the silver-based dressing focus on its unrivalled ability to disrupt and kill antimicrobial biofilms (bacteria encased in a protective matrix, which show up to 1,000 times resistance to antibiotics) that typically prevent chronic wounds, such as diabetic ulcers and pressure sores, from healing.

Crawford, which is the UK’s fourth largest advanced wound care business, secured the exclusive proprietary rights to the dressing’s class-leading OxysaltTM technology in early 2016 and is currently developing its inclusion in a range of treatments for international use.

Dr Helen Thomason, Post-Doctoral Research Associate at The University of Manchester, commented: “This is undoubtedly a major step forward in the global battle against chronic wound infections and antibiotic resistance, and has the potential to revolutionise the way we tackle chronic wounds. Between 60 and 100 per cent of chronic wounds worldwide show the presence of a biofilm. From the independent data we’ve developed, there’s no reason to believe that this product won’t contribute to the prevention of amputations resulting from infection as well as support dramatically improved patient outcomes.”

Crawford Healthcare sells its portfolio of advanced wound care products to more than 20 global markets, and has developed a direct sales team in the US to establish its brands in North America.

Crawford Healthcare CEO Richard Anderson said: “The US wound care market is expected to be worth in excess of $12billion by 2018, making it the most important territory in terms of growing our global market share. You need only look at ConvaTec’s IPO last year – the largest in the history of medtech – to see the importance being placed on wound treatment within healthcare, and we now have a product in place that, put simply, will help save limbs. Our growth strategy has always been to replicate the success of our highly profitable UK model overseas and this unrivalled product gives us the opportunity to do it in the world’s biggest market, where demographic trends point towards an aging population and increasing levels of healthcare spend related to diabetes.”

Professor Ian Greer, Vice-President and Dean of the University’s Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, added: “The North West is renowned for the quality of its Life Sciences sector, and the innovations created here are testament to the exceptional cluster of universities and businesses fostering research and development. It fills me with immense pride to see world-leading research conducted between the University and a local partner making a real difference to healthcare and promoting the capabilities of the Northern Powerhouse.”